It's In My Blood
by dkfan24
Summary: Due to a horrible episode from his past, Arthur has secluded himself from the outside world, making sure he befriends no one out of fear that history will repeat itself. But even in times of peace, Arthur can just never get a break. Someone wants him dead, and if that's not enough, why is he now taking interest in a human? VampireAU, mainly USUK.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

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Run.

Out of the millions of words in the English language, that was the only one his frightened mind could remember. The need to escape was the only thought that ran through his head as he raced with inhuman speed through the darkness of the forest, the sound of mad yelling and shouting following close behind him. He did not dare waste time looking back, the only image he had of his hunters came from the quick glance his panic stricken eyes had taken before his survival instincts took over. But that one glance was enough for him to see the wooden stakes in their hands, illuminated by the glow of their flashlights.

Despite how long the chase had seemed to him, it was only a matter of minutes before that life and death situation came to its end. He knew he was capable of outrunning them, though in the height of his fear the thought had not occurred to him. It was only now, as he stood on the pavement a few blocks away from the forest he had just made his escape from, that the reality of what had just happened processed in his mind.

Just a few minutes ago he was in the midst of the forest, devouring the blood from his latest victim. He did not do it often, most of his cravings were satisfied by what he stole from blood banks and hospitals, but every once in a while he'd get the desire for something stronger.

Thinking back on it, he was positive that there was no one around when he had committed his most recent murder. Despite his strong sense of hearing convincing him of his privacy, he had specifically chosen a time of the night when few or relatively no souls walked the area. But then again, those were no average, innocent souls. Those people had been there deliberately, knowing he'd come around eventually. How many nights they had waited for him was a mystery, but the simple fact that they had was enough to put fear in his mind.

Fear. That was an emotion he had had the privilege of not having to feel in a long time. It was part of the reason he had returned to London in the first place. The second half of the twentieth century had brought a new change of attitude towards the supernatural and the mythological folklore from many centuries ago. Creatures of the night were now a thing of the past, the knowledge of their paranormal existence only kept alive for their use in modern day films and books. Believers were now a minority, and they were of little threat to the supernatural beings of the world, making it somewhat safe for others like him to live a somewhat normal life where it's a rarity to fear potential death every time one steps out of their own home. Thus, that was the reason he was confused by the sudden attempt to kill him by a few obvious believers.

But it wasn't the fear of his hunters exposing his existence that put him on edge, for he was well aware that the majority of the human population considered people like them as crazy and not of the norm, the great disparity of the people of these last few generations and their ancestors. What frightened him was why they had done it and why now all of a sudden. How could they have known in the first place. Perhaps they did not, and he was just unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps it could have been anyone and that they were just waiting for one to show up.

That conclusion he had came to calmed him for a bit, but the question of why now still loomed in his head. Even if he was not their specific target, he still might have reason to believe that his life could be at stake, and very possibly, a wooden one.

* * *

 **I know it was a short chapter, but I promise the next ones will be longer. My first chapters usually tend to be short...**

 **Yeah, kill me, I got another fanfic idea. I don't know what's wrong with me, I get an idea amd I just have to write it. And then I just have to post it! But I promise, I'm not giving up on my other ones.**

 **This is actually my first time writing USUK, so we'll see how that goes. It's a vampire AU with vampire!England and human!America because I've recently gotten into the whole vampire and supernatural stuff. And I've also been reading a lot of vampire romances and most of them just seem so cliché and similar to each other, so I kind of wanted to write one that isn't as cliché, and not so similar to the others. Besides for the romance plot, this also has another plot so as to hopefully make it more original.**

 **Anyway, I know it's not much to begin with, but I'd love to hear your opinions. Next chapter will be more focused on America and introducing him into the story.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	2. Opposites Attract

**Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

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Alfred had never liked the rain. Its darkness and gloom brought a cloud of depression upon every place that fell victim to it. Its loud, spontaneous claps of thunder were enough to wake almost anyone from a deep slumber, and the incessant rythm of raindrops hitting the windows easily deprived one of concentration.

It was very possible that Alfred's dislike for such weather resulted from the fact that his personality was much the opposite. He had a natural thirst for adventure, and the energy he went about his day with was almost as much as the energy of the sun which exactly reflected his vigorous, cheerful character. According to him, a world without sun and a world without light was not a world worth living in.

"Are you just going to stand there, staring at the rain the whole day? We're in London now, aren't you going to go out and explore it."

Alfred paused his thoughts on the rain, and turned to face his brother who had just questioned him. The black suit his brother was dressed in informed Alfred of his imminent departure.

"I'd love to go out there, Mattie, but this stupid rain is kind of preventing that."

Matthew sighed at his brother's comment, knowing all too well that Alfred would never go out in such weather. It was just one of the many things that differentiated them from each other. Alfred had always been more drawn to summer and sunny weather while Matthew felt more at home during the winter's cold and dark days.

"Well, maybe it'll clear up later. I have to go to the hospital for an interview now."

Alfred raised an eyebrow as he watched Matthew put on his jacket. "I thought they already hired you?"

"They did. It's more of an introduction, really."

Alfred nodded in understanding. "Alright, then. See you later."

After Matthew left, Alfred looked back towards the window that displayed a very gloomy view of the rainy, British capital. Matthew was right. He had a whole city to explore and he was not going to let the day's darkness block out his sunshine.

Alfred almost immediately regretted the idea the second he stepped out of the apartment building and into the thunderstorm London had acquired. The discomfort had already began and he could feel his clothing, now dampened by the rain, beginning to stick to his body, and his hair, now wet and dripping, starting to glue itself to his face. The umbrella he had been holding over his now soaked body had been of no help.

But the discomfort and regret soon disappeared as Alfred began to walk down the street, his wet shoes splashing in puddles every few steps. Even in the rain, London still lived up to its name, its architecture and scenery captivating Alfred's attention as his awe struck blue eyes gazed in amazement at his new surroundings.

He had no idea where he was headed, and for the first half hour, Alfred found himself wandering aimlessly around the busy streets of London, pausing every now and then whenever his gaze fixed on something worth viewing.

After the half hour of sightseeing had passed, Alfred could hear his stomach start to growl and only then did he remember that he had skipped breakfast that morning. He quickly glanced at his watch and seeing that it was already noon, decided it would be a great time to get some lunch. Luckily for him, Alfred spotted a little cafe across the street from where he was standing.

The cafe had a very homey vibe to it, and Alfred immediately decided that the place had been a good choice. Leather seated booths lined the front wall, their large picture windows portraying the rainy weather scene going on outside. There was a smell of freshly baked bread and pastries swarming around in the air, and Alfred could faintly make out the heavenly scent of coffee being brewed. The cafe was quiet for the most part, customers spoke in hushed voices and soft classical music could be heard in the background.

After ordering a bagel and a coffee, Alfred took his food and glanced around at the booths in front of him. They were all occupied, most of them only by one or two people. Seeing that he'd have to sit with a stranger, Alfred did a quick look over of all his potential seat mates. Upon coming to the last booth, Alfred's eyes fell upon a young, blonde male sitting alone, staring out the window with his hands wrapped around a steaming cup of tea. Alfred smiled as he made up his mind and walked over to the very last booth.

"Excuse me, mind if I join you?"

The blonde man turned away from the window almost as soon as the first word left Alfred's mouth. His quick reaction surprised Alfred, it was almost as if the man had known that Alfred was approaching him.

"Go ahead."

That was all the man had been willing to utter before he turned his eyes back to the window.

Alfred muttered a thanks, sat down across from him, and immediately dug into his food.

As he ate, he took the opportunity to study the blonde man across from him. The first thing Alfred noticed was the way his hair was styled, as in there was no style at all. His blonde strands of hair were a mess, making Alfred wonder if the guy had ever looked at himself in a mirror before. His eyes were a bright green, a shade Alfred had never seen before. They were staring thoughtfully out the window and it made Alfred curious of what the man could be thinking about so deeply.

"Is it not rude in America to stare at people?"

Alfred fumbled with the coffee cup in his hand as his cheeks turned red, only now realizing that the man had noticed his awkward gazing.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. How did you know I was American?"

The man rolled his green eyes and gave an irritated sigh. "Your accent kind of gave it away."

Alfred looked down at his cup as a blush began to form again for the second time in the couple of minutes they had been acquainted. From what he could tell, this man was not someone whom kindness came easy to. It made Alfred wonder why he had chosen to sit next to him.

"What brings you to London?"

Alfred's head snapped up as the man across from him spoke again. Upon hearing the question, Alfred immediately cheered up, happy that the man was willing to start a conversation with him.

"My brother, Matthew, got a job here and I decided to come with him in hope that maybe I'll find something here too. We just arrived last night, so this is my first time seeing the city, and I think I like it so far. My name's Alfred by the way, yours?"

"Arthur. And I apologize for my impolite behavior earlier, I just haven't been in a very good mood today."

Alfred smiled. "No problem, apology accepted. It's the rain, isn't it? It always puts me in a bad mood."

Arthur frowned as he looked back at the rain. "Actually, I quite like the rain. I never really liked sunny weather."

Alfred stopped drinking his coffee and gaped in surprise at Arthur's comment. "You don't like the sun? You're weird, man. Do you like nighttime better too?"

Alfred meant for it to be a joke, but surprisingly Arthur confirmed that Alfred's statement was indeed true.

"Good guess. I actually am more active at night."

Alfred stared at Arthur as he paused to take a sip of his tea. Alfred couldn't help but smile at how "British" the action looked.

Alfred took the moment to examine Arthur's attire, and after hearing about Arthur's attraction to the dark and gloom, his completely black outfit made perfect sense to Alfred. He knew he would never wear all black himself, as color was an essential for him, his white and blue jacket proving his point, but he had to admit that Arthur pulled it off quite well.

"You're staring again."

Alfred looked away again and smiled sheepishly. He could see the ghost of a smile playing on Arthur's lips as he said it.

"Sorry, again."

Arthur just nodded and went back to focusing his attention on the outside world. His doing that puzzled Alfred to no end.

"Anything interesting out there?" He asked jokingly.

Arthur looked away from the window, and instead focused his attention on his now empty cup of tea.

"Sorry, I just have something on my mind. I tend to stare off into space when something's troubling me."

"Something's troubling you?" Alfred inquired.

Arthur shook his head, his eyes staring hard at the cup in his hands. "It's nothing, really. I'm just paranoid, that's all."

His words were rushed, making Alfred think that whatever it was, Arthur was trying his hardest to avoid speaking about it. It only made Alfred more curious, but he decided to respect Arthur's request to not talk about it. To make it easier for Arthur, Alfred brought up a new conversation.

"So, have you lived in London your whole life?"

Arthur frowned and continued to stare at his cup. "No, I have not. I've lived here for most of my childhood, but then had to move around for a bit before settling back here."

Arthur had said it as if he regretted his past actions. It made Alfred wonder why he had to leave.

"Where else have you been?"

Arthur took a moment to think about it. "Well, I've lived in Oslo, Bucharest, and Paris to name just a few."

Alfred looked at him impressed. "That's pretty cool, dude. I've always wanted to travel. I love sightseeing though I think I'd have to get myself a tour guide. My self lead tour of London today didn't work out so well."

Arthur looked up from his cup with interest. "You want a tour of London?"

Alfred sighed. "Yeah, though I doubt I could afford it. I don't have much cash to spare right now."

"I can show you around."

Alfred looked at the British man in surprise. He definitely wasn't expecting that from Arthur.

"Really? I totally wasn't serious about it, but if you don't mind then I'm all for it."

Arthur gave Alfred a small smile. "I don't mind. I actually know the city pretty well. I can give you my number if you'd like and we can further discuss it."

Alfred smiled and took out his phone. "Sure. That sounds great."

As he exchanged numbers with Arthur, Alfred thought about why Arthur had been so eager to offer his services. Arthur didn't seem very social and he didn't look like someone who put himself out there. But, Alfred couldn't really judge him on that as he barely knew anything about Arthur. That realization of his lack of knowledge on the British man made Alfred just want to know more about him. The more he reflected on their short conversation and the way Arthur dodged certain questions and how he vaguely answered others made Alfred believe that he was hiding something. There was something about him that Arthur didn't want him to know.

"Maybe we could go tomorrow. I'm free, what about you?" Alfred asked when they had finished giving each other their numbers.

"That seems fine. I can pick you up tomorrow, just text me later your address."

Alfred nodded and began to put his phone back into his pocket. As he did, his hand scraped against the edge of the table which was chipped and he winced as the sharp edge dug into his skin, and a trickle of blood began to pour out. He quickly grabbed a napkin and placed it over the cut.

"They should probably fix that." Alfred laughed.

He then looked up at Arthur. He was staring at his hand almost like he was nervous about something. His sudden pale expression only concerned Alfred.

"It's just a small cut, nothing major. I'm fine, really."

Arthur then quickly stood up, a little too quickly for Alfred but he immediately just blamed his mind for playing tricks on him.

"I have to go." Arthur insisted, his nervous gaze never leaving Alfred's injured hand. "Call me if anything about tomorrow changes."

"Wait, Arthur!"

Alfred was shocked at how quickly the anxious Brit had left. He was already out the door before Alfred could spit out his name. Alfred knew Arthur's sudden departure had not been planned, he had no doubt that it had something to do with the cut he got on his hand. It was just too obvious by the way Arthur kept looking at it. Perhaps he just had a fear of blood, though Alfred couldn't really understand how a small amount like that could have triggered his uncomfort. Maybe he'd be able to bring it up the next day when they would meet again.

* * *

Arthur exited the cafe as fast as he could, not really caring if Alfred or anyone for that matter noticed his inhuman speed. The scent of Alfred's blood still lingered in his nose, but he knew he could control himself as long as he distanced himself. The further he got, the more the smell went away, eventually there being nothing left of it, but even when the smell had disappeared, the craving sensation Arthur had felt still remained. The reaction he had had to the scent of Alfred's blood deemed as strange to him, as he was usually able to control himself in such situations, especially when it was in such small amounts, as was the case with Alfred. Arthur had to admit that the scent had just been so strong and it smelled so delicious, much better than any other blood he had had in a long time.

He stopped in his tracks as that thought reminded him of the incident from the past. The incident that he had locked away in the back of his mind, and as a result, locked himself away as well. He didn't want to dwell on it, he had other things to think about now, like what had happened last night, but it made him question why he had just let some random American into his life. He had promised himself years ago that he'd never get to close to anyone again. Humans couldn't be trusted. His experiences had taught him that. But then how could he explain his sudden interest in Alfred?

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 **Thank you all for reading this and I hoped you liked it. I worked hard on it, so I hope it paid off. I'd love to hear your opinions, so leave a review if you can!**


	3. Securing the Trap

**Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me.**

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Matthew opened the glass, double doors of the London Lycanwolf Hospital, the scene of scurrying doctors and needy patients instantly greeting him. It was a sight that he was used to, after working in various different hospitals and medical facilities over the years, and strangely enough, it was an environment of which he now felt quite comfortable in, despite its very uncomfortable reputation.

Wasting no time at all, Matthew quickly made his way across the lobby to the reception desk, passing by visitors of a variety of emotions, all looming around anxiously in the waiting area, another sight he had grown accustomed to.

Upon reaching the reception desk, Matthew stood quietly for a few moments, waiting to see if the receptionist would notice him without announcing his presence himself. The receptionist never looked up from her computer, her fast moving hands never stopping their incessant typing, just as Matthew had expected. Reluctantly, Matthew cleared his throat in an attempt to get her attention.

"Excuse me, I'm here for an interview."

The receptionist looked up in surprise, her wide eyes informing Matthew that she had not been aware of his presence in the slightest.

"Interview? Just a moment, let me check."

Matthew watched silently as the receptionist went back to her computer, her eyes scanning the screen's contents quickly, almost as fast as her hands typed away at her keyboard.

"Matthew Williams, is it?"

Matthew nodded, but then remembered that she was still staring at her computer screen.

"Yes, that's me."

"Alright, the doctor will be here shortly." She said hastily, and then immediately went back to her fervent typing, her knowledge of Matthew's presence gone just as quickly as it had come.

Matthew turned away from the desk and went to sit down in the seat nearest to him. As he waited for the doctor, Matthew took the opportunity to observe his new work environment more closely.

From what he had been told, the London Lycanwolf Hospital was a fairly new institution, having just opened a couple months prior to Matthew's arrival. Despite its short history, the hospital was also said to have one of the largest blood banks in the world.

Matthew was so engrossed in examining the waiting room that he did not even notice the doctor approaching him from behind. He jumped when he felt a slight tap on his shoulder. Turning around, Matthew caught sight of the smiling, dark haired man standing behind him.

"Hi, sorry to startle you, but are you Matthew Williams?"

Matthew nodded. "Yes, are you the doctor that I'm supposed to see?"

"Yes, I'm Doctor Carriedo, but you can just call me Antonio."

Matthew smiled, as the doctor's cheerfulness was quite contagious. "Nice to meet you, Antonio."

Antonio smiled back. "Nice to meet you too. Now, if you'll please follow me, I'd like to give you a tour of the hospital."

Matthew stood up and followed Antonio as he led him out of the lobby.

The tour was simple, and Matthew noted that the layout of the hospital was quite similar to most of the hospitals he had worked in, thus making it easier for him to remember how to get around.

Antonio spoke almost the entire way, whether it was to tell Matthew something about the hospital, or just to make conversation. In truth, endless jabbering was not Matthew's preferred way of going about, but he was able to put up with Antonio's nonstop babbling, as he had a certain brother that acted quite similar to the chatty doctor.

"And down that corridor is the emergency room." Antonio informed him as they walked down one of the many hallways.

As they passed by the emergency room, Matthew caught sight of a doctor exiting the vicinity. Antonio seemed to notice him too because he immediately stopped in his tracks upon seeing him.

"Matthew, let me introduce you to this man here." Antonio said.

The departing doctor noticed Antonio and Matthew and went up to approach them.

"Antonio, how's it going? Is this new guy that Francis hired?" The doctor asked.

Matthew took a moment to study the unfamiliar doctor before him. His appearance was quite different from what he had ever seen with his white hair, red eyes, and ultra pale skin. There was also a mischievous gleam in his eyes that Matthew didn't like the look of.

"This is Matthew Williams." Antonio introduced him to the doctor. "And Matthew, this is Doctor Beilschmidt, but you can just call him Gilbert. He's a good friend of mine."

"Nice to meet you, Gilbert." Matthew said politely.

Gilbert smirked. "Nice to meet you too. I look forward to working with you."

Gilbert's playful attitude put Matthew on edge a little, but fortunately, Antonio decided to continue with the tour.

"Well, it was nice seeing you, Gilbert, but I'm going to finish showing Matthew around now. Come on!"

Matthew gratefully followed Antonio as he turned away from Gilbert. Something about the doctor troubled him, but he wasn't sure what.

"Here at Lycanwolf, we have one of the biggest blood banks in the world." Antonio commented as they walked down the corridor, eventually coming to two large, locked, steel doors.

"Is this the blood bank?" Matthew asked as he examined the huge doors.

Antonio pulled out a key and put it into the lock. "Yes. As you can see, we keep it under high surveillance."

 _That answers a lot_ , Matthew thought to himself as Antonio pushed open the heavy doors. Antonio gestured for Matthew to follow him into the room, and the sight that greeted him left Matthew in awe.

To say the room was large was an understatement. Rows upon rows of shelves lined the room, each one filled to the brim with packaged blood. Matthew had never seen so much in one place im his life. Lycanwolf definitely had one of the largest blood banks in the world.

"What did I tell you?" Antonio said amusingly as he glanced at Matthew's amazed expression. "We may have only just opened, but our hospital attracts people in need of blood from all over the world."

"Very impressive stash you've got here." Matthew mused as he continued to let his eyes wander.

As he looked around, he couldn't help but notice the differences with this specific blood bank compared to other he'd seen. For one, it was hard to overlook the abundance of security cameras placed strategically in all areas throughout the room.

Another thing Matthew noticed was the fact that all the packages of blood were stored in locked, glass cases, very different from how most banks stored them by just placing them openly in containers on the shelves. He noticed that the windows in the room were barred up as well.

All the extra surveillance made him wonder if there was a reason as to why the hospital kept such a close eye on their blood bank.

* * *

"Hey, Mattie, how was it?" Alfred asked as Matthew walked through the front door.

Matthew took off his jacket and hung it up in the closet. "It was good. I start my first day tomorrow."

"So, tell me all about it!" Alfred said exuberantly as Matthew took a seat on the couch beside him.

Matthew wondered if Alfred wanted to know out of curiosity, or if he was just trying to be nice. Matthew suspected that it was the latter.

"It wasn't that exciting, I just met some doctors and one showed me around."

Alfred kept the excited expression on his face, though Matthew could tell that Alfred was just excited to tell him about his day.

Sighing, he decided to let his brother tell him of his most recent adventures. "And what did you do today, Alfred? Surely, not much, as you stayed inside today."

Alfred smirked. "Actually, I didn't stay home all day."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. That was very unexpected. "Really?"

Alfred nodded. "Yup, I went out and explored, though I'm not the best tour guide."

Matthew let out a small laugh. Alfred had never been very good with directions. "Did you see anything interesting?"

"Yeah, it's really awesome here!" Alfred said. "Oh, and I met a really cool British dude, and he offered to give me a tour of London tomorrow. That reminds me, I have to text him our address."

Matthew smiled to himself as he watched Alfred take out his phone. Leave it to his brother to make a friend on the very first day.

* * *

Arthur sighed in relief as he finally made it to his home. There was so many things on his mind at the moment which exhausted him to no end, and he was really craving a drink.

After entering his house, Arthur closed the door behind him and took off his wet clothing. The lights were off, but Arthur didn't bother turning them on, as he had no use for them. Despite his being able to come into contact with light, Arthur tried to avoid being out in the sun for long periods of time, as after a while, the light would have some effect on him, causing him major migraines.

Arthur headed over to the kitchen and opened the fridge, his green eyes catching sight of the cold blood sitting on one of the shelves. His stomach growled at the sight and smell of it, and Arthur immediately grabbed it from the fridge.

But before digging into his bloody dinner, Arthur took the liberty to make himself a cup of tea. Just because he was a vampire didn't mean he couldn't enjoy his beloved Earl Grey.

Then, with his dinner in one hand and his tea in the other, Arthur made his way to the living room and sat down on the couch, turning on the television in the process. He began to flip through the channels, but he ended up sticking with the news, as nothing else had caught his interest.

As he watched the news in silence, his phone buzzed, causing him to spill some of his tea on himself. Glaring at the hot stain forming on his pants, Arthur grabbed his phone to see who could possibly be texting him at the moment.

He sighed when he saw it was Alfred, the rowdy American he had met earlier at the cafe.

"Why the bloody hell did I offer to do this?" Arthur asked himself as he read the address that Alfred had texted him.

He then put his phone down and grabbed a napkin, and dabbed it on the wet spot on his pants. He then stopped and looked up at the television which was covering something on the last night's events.

"Just last night, a young woman was murdered in the forest of Hampstead Heath. The police don't know yet how she was killed, but the she had a severe injury on her neck, resulting in a lot of blood loss from that area."

Arthur watched carefully as the newscaster delivered the news of that night. He had to reassure himself that there was no way the police could find him, but what he saw next on the television destroyed that reassurance.

Arthur watched in horror as a man he had vaguely recognized from the chase that followed that night, came on the screen.

"I was there when he killed her. It was a vampire, I tell you. You could see it on her neck, those are bite marks. I'm telling you, London is under a vampire attack."

It was obvious that the witness had just made a fool out of himself on national television, but it still made Arthur feel weary. How did they know about him, and why did they want to kill him now all of a sudden?

* * *

 **I'm sorry for making you all wait, but I probably won't be updating this on a weekly basis. Whenever I have time really, and with school starting soon, I don't think it'll be quite often. But I'll see how many hits this gets, and if I feel that enough people are reading this then I'll try to find the time.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. I forgot to mention this earlier, but this story will have some other pairings such as Prucan, Spamano, and maybe minor Dennor.**

 **Reviews are greatly appreciated as I would really like to hear what you think!**

 **Farewell!**


	4. Only Time Will Tell

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

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Unlike the previous morning, the sun shown brightly through Alfred and Matthew's apartment, and gave them a view of London that looked so drastically different than the rainy London they had seen before. It almost gave the city a whole new feel to it, making Alfred much too eager to get his day started.

"When is Arthur picking you up for your tour?" Matthew asked as he sat down to his breakfast of pancakes.

Alfred quickly swallowed the cereal in his mouth before answering. "Eleven."

Matthew frowned as he looked at his work schedule for the week. He had to be at the hospital before Alfred left which meant he wouldn't get to meet Arthur yet.

"That's disappointing." Matthew said as he went back to eating his breakfast. "I have to go to work in an hour, so I'm afraid I'll have to meet Arthur some other time."

"That does suck," Alfred commented. "but you definitely have to meet him sometime, Mattie. I've only just met him, but he seems really cool!"

Matthew smiled at the enthusiasm in his brother's voice. "Well, at least the weather is nice today. It'd be a shame if you had to walk around the city in the rain."

Alfred frowned as he looked outside at the rays of sunlight reflecting off of London's buildings. For once, he was actually kind of upset that it was sunny.

"I guess, but Arthur doesn't really like the sun." He mumbled as he continued to gaze. He then smiled as a thought came to his mind. "You know, he kind of reminds me of a vampire."

The fork in Matthew's hand paused its journey towards his mouth as he looked at Alfred in confusion. "A vampire?"

Alfred laughed as he realized how ridiculous it sounded. "Yeah, I mean, he hates sunny weather and he was wearing all black yesterday. Do vampires wear black? I think so. And he was really pale."

Matthew smiled at Alfred's imaginative hypothesis and unfroze his fork that was dangling in middair. It amused him sometimes to see what crazy assumptions Alfred was able to come up with.

As the two brothers lapsed into a silence, Alfred's vampire theory made Matthew remember something.

"Hey, Alfred, remember on the news last there was a story about a girl who was murdered?"

Alfred paused his eating to think about it. "I think so. Hey, that was the one where that crazy witness guy kept saying it was a vampire, right?"

Matthew nodded. "Yeah, your idea of Arthur being a vampire reminded me of that."

"Maybe it was Arthur that killed her."Alfred joked.

Matthew laughed. "Maybe, I guess you'll have to ask him."

"But seriously," Alfred said. "who is that crazy to go on national television and say something like that?"

Matthew shrugged as he began to clear his empty plate. "Apparently that guy last night."

"But still," Alfred said as he took his empty plate and followed his brother's lead. " he said it was a vampire. There's no such thing, so why would he even suggest it?"

"I don't know, Al." Matthew said. "But I have to go to the hospital now, so I'll see you later. Have fun with Arthur."

* * *

Arthur shut his eyes the second after he had opened them. The sun was so bright that morning that it even shown through his blackout curtains.

Sighing, Arthur reluctantly dragged himself out of bed, squinting as his eyes tried to adjust to the bright light. He would usually sleep through most of the day, and take care of his needs at night, yesterday though being an exception as it was dark and raining, weather Arthur most looked forward to.

But today he was being forced to leave the darkness of his home and head out into the sunlight that engulfed the capital city of England.

As Arthur pulled out some clothing he questioned himself as to why he had offered to take Alfred out on a tour of London. He hadn't opened up that quickly to a human ever since the episode in Paris in nineteen-sixteen. It puzzled him as to how quick he was to acquaint himself with Alfred.

From what he was able to tell, there really wasn't anything about Alfred that turned him on, except maybe the blood incident. It was a rare occurrence that Arthur hadn't experienced in quite a while, and it wasn't something he wanted to experience again.

He didn't want to dwell on it, but he couldn't help but wonder what Alfred's blood tasted like. And though the scent of Alfred's blood had been gone for a while, Arthur could still faintly remember how delicious it smelled and how strong the scent was.

Upon realizing what he was fantasizing about, Arthur quickly shook the thought out of his mind. Thinking about feeding might cause him to take action, and that was something Arthur did not want to do to Alfred, or at least not yet.

When Arthur finished buttoning up his shirt, he stood awkwardly in front of the mirror, staring at a reflection that didn't exist. Normally, he didn't mind not being able to see his appearance, but at that moment, he kind of wished he could see himself.

He ran a hand through his blond hair, sighing at how messy it felt. He didn't know why he suddenly felt the need to look appropriate, as it wasn't like he was trying to impress Alfred or anything.

After a few seconds of imagining his reflection, Arthur put on a black jacket and reluctantly went outside into the burning sun. Luckily, it was the beginning of December which meant winter was coming, and along with winter came darkness, something Arthur was very much accustomed to.

As he walked down the street, Arthur quickly checked Alfred's address again on his phone. He knew exactly where Alfred's building was, as he had come to know London pretty well throughout the many years he had lived in the city.

Putting his phone back in his pocket, Arthur began to head in the direction of Alfred's house. It was a quiet morning and the streets were practically empty at this time of day. Aside from the occasional wind howling, the only sound Arthur could hear were the footsteps of his shoes hitting the pavement.

Upon reaching Alfred's building, Arthur opened the main door, glad that he was able to enter public buildings without permission. He then quickly went up the stairs to the apartment number Alfred had texted him.

The apartment door was closed and Arthur couldn't hear anything coming from inside. Hesitantly, he knocked lightly on the door, still unsure if he should have been doing this.

Within seconds the door was thrown open to reveal the American he had only met the day before. Arthur couldn't help but cringe at the bright colors Alfred was adorned in, but at the same time he almost felt that the look suited him.

"Hey, Arthur! I'm so glad you offered to do this for me, I'm so excited!"

Arthur tried to give a small smile, but it was quite difficult as the American was much too loud for Arthur's liking.

"It's no problem, really." He said quickly as he continued to stand awkwardly outside Alfred's door.

"I'll be just a minute if you don't mind." Alfred said as he walked away from the doorway, leaving Arthur to wonder if he should ask to come in.

But he didn't have to make the decision in the end, as Alfred noticed the British man's reluctance to entering. "You don't have to stand out there, you know. Come in."

Grateful that Alfred solved his problem, Arthur easily walked through the front door and into Alfred's apartment. It wasn't much as was most expected for someone who had just moved in. The only thing Arthur didn't like about it was how overly bright the place was, as if they had stragically chosen the most brightest location in London.

"So you live here with your brother?" Arthur asked as he examined the pictures and objects on a shelf in the living room.

"Yup." Alfred replied as he put on his shoes.

Most of the photographs were of Alfred and another boy who Arthur presumed was most likely Matthew, Alfred's brother. There was also an older man and woman in a few of the pictures that Arthur assumed were their parents.

Aside from the pictures, the shelf held some very interesting looking items, many probably were heirlooms of the family. Out of all the antique objects, there was one that caught Arthur's eye the most.

A golden pocket watch sat delicately on the shelf, it's gleam capturing Arthur's interest immediately. Without thinking, Arthur gently picked it up and observed the golden object in hands.

The watch's hands were stagnant, stuck within a few inches ahead of the twelfth hour, causing Arthur to believe the watch was broken, but its beauty made him understand why no one had gotten rid of it. Arthur turned it around in his hands and looked quizzically at the back of the pocket watch. There was a switch, but when Arthur tried to move it, he realized it was stuck.

Strangely, the switch was set to a letter W which was engraved into the back of the pocket watch, a letter V was engraved on the other side of the jammed switch.

"Pretty cool watch, isn't it?"

Arthur jumped at the sudden voice of Alfred and blushed at the fact that Alfred had caught him snooping around his stuff. But luckily, Alfred didn't really seem to mind.

"Yes, where'd you get a hold of this?" Arthur asked as observed the watch more closely.

"It's been passed down in our family for generations, I think it's as old as the fourteen hundreds or something." Alfred informed him as he looked at it along with Arthur. "I don't think it's ever really worked though my grandfather told me that the hour hand used to be at the eleven when he was younger, but that was like over fifty years ago, so maybe it's just really slow."

"What about the back of it?" Arthur asked as he turned the watch over. "What does W and V stand for?"

Alfred looked hard at the letters engraved on the back. "I don't know, I always wondered that though."

The two stared at the watch a few seconds longer until Alfred decided that they should get a move on. Arthur placed the broken pocket watch back on the shelf and followed Alfred out the door.

As much as he hated to admit it, Arthur actually quite enjoyed the little tour he was giving Alfred. They had already been at it for over an hour and he had shown him most of London's famous sites. Walking around London reminded him of how much he really loved his birth city.

To say Alfred was enjoying himself was an understatement. He spent the whole afternoon staring in awe at everything, even the things he had happened to stumble upon the day before. It was just that with Arthur's commentary and background information on everything, everything seemed so much more vibrant.

Eventually, the two of them did get tired out as well as hungry, and agreed to stop by somewhere to grab something to eat. With Arthur's knowledge of all the good restaurants in the city, they found themselves a nice place to eat and relax.

"So how do you know so much about London and the history?" Alfred asked as they waited for the food.

Arthur didn't answer right away as he thought about how he should reply. "I've read a lot of history, that's all."

Alfred seemed to believe his answer as he didn't question the subject any longer. They sat in silence, each one thinking of a potential topic for a conversation. Arthur broke the iceberg first.

"Do your parents still live in America?"

"Actually, no." Alfred replied with a smile, though Arthur could tell it was somewhat forced. "They're not around anymore."

Arthur's expression immediately softened upon hearing the tragic news, as he suddenly felt guilty for bringing up the topic, though he was perfectly able to relate himself.

"I'm sorry for your loss, and I apologize for bringing it up."

Alfred smiled again, though this time Arthur could tell it was genuine. "Thanks, but it's okay. It happened a few months ago, but I'm almost over it now."

"What happened?" Arthur scolded himself for asking the question, but he was quite curious as to what had happened to Alfred's parents.

"It's still kind of a mystery actually." Alfred said, trying his best to sound casual though it was obvious that he found the subject difficult to talk about. "They actually came here to London on a business trip, but then one night they were murdered. The police don't really know what happened."

The smile on Alfred's face had disappeared as his gaze was then set on the window, looking almost longingly outside for something that wasn't there. It pained Arthur as he knew exactly what the American man was probably feeling, as he had lost his parents too, along with the rest of his family. Though unlike Alfred, his loss had taken place many years prior and he had had plenty of time to recover since then.

"Did you see the news last night?"

Arthur looked up in surprise at how quickly Alfred had gotten over his temporary depression. It took him a moment to understand what Alfred was referring to, but he then remembered about the murder he had committed and just prayed that Alfred wouldn't ask too many questions on it.

"Yes, it was very tragic. But unfortunately, things like that happen in the world." He almost added a reference to the murder of Alfred's parents, but then quickly decided against it.

"Yeah," Alfred commented. "But did you hear what that witness said? He said it was a vampire! I mean, come on, who's gonna believe that?"

An siren went off in Arthur's mind, alerting him to be cautious of what he was going to say. Fortunately, Alfred didn't believe in that stuff.

"It was a pretty odd thing to say. I don't think many would believe it though." He then paused as he considered his next words. He just wanted to be sure that Alfred was a nonbeliever. "I'm assuming you don't believe in the supernatural?"

Alfred laughed. "Of course not, dude. I mean, except for aliens, I think they're real, but no vampires and ghosts and stuff. That's just all a bunch of legends. Do you?"

As far as Arthur was concerned, there were no aliens in existence, but if that's all Alfred was willing to believe then he wasn't going to change that.

"Not really. I mean, we don't really know anything for sure amd there's never been proof, so I don't think so."

Their food was then served to them and they fell into silence as they began to eat their meal. Alfred's gaze was set on his plate, so he didn't notice the green eyes staring at him. Arthur observed him quietly as he ate, consistently taking a bite of his food every few minutes, so as to appear normal.

Alfred's appearance was quite unique from what Arthur had seen, but unique in a way that suited the American perfectly. He wore bold colors, signifying that he had a good amount of self confidence to go out like that. His hair was a fairly normal, light, brown color, though he had an interesting cowlick that made him easily stand out.

But the most prominent feature he noticed were the American's eyes. They were a bright blue, almost as blue as the sky, and likewise gave the impression that you were staring into a vast ocean with no end in sight. An ocean of liveliness and exuberance, things that Arthur hadn't been able to experience in a long time.

"Hey, what did you say about staring?"

Arthur blushed as he saw Alfred smiling at him with an amused expression. Even though he wasn't annoyed, Arthur still felt pretty embarrassed upon being caught doing something he was against.

"Sorry, I was just lost in thought."

"Typical." Alfred said smiling as he went back to his food, leaving Arthur to wonder what he had meant by that.

* * *

Matthew sighed as finished putting in his daily report into the computer. It was only his first day at work, yet he was already exhausted. For a new hospital, Lycanwolf was definitely busy.

Relieved that the day was finally over, Matthew packed up his stuff and headed out to leave. The halls were mostly quiet at this time of day, and few people walked the area.

As Matthew walked passed the entrance to the blood bank, he couldn't help but notice that the doors were slightly open. It struck him as odd as there was a separate entrance for the blood bank's staff and regular doctors and nurses weren't usually allowed in there.

Matthew was going to just ignore it, but his curiosity got the better of him and he found himself slowly entering through the open doorway, hesitantly peering inside to see what was going on.

The lights were off, but Matthew could hear someone. He slowly stepped further into the room and then froze when he saw someone throwing packages of blood into a box. The person caught in the act noticed Matthew too and froze as well.

Upon closer inspection, Matthew recognized Antonio standing there with the stash.

"Antonio? What are you doing?"

Antonio looked nervous at first, but immediately put on a cheerful smile as he answered Matthew's question.

"These are for a transfer to another hospital. They don't have the blood they need, so we're giving some to them, as we do have quite a large selection."

It wasn't that hard to believe, but Matthew was confused as to why Antonio was collecting it, and why he made it look so secretive.

"Why are you doing it?"

Antonio laughed, though Matthew couldn't determine if it was out of nervousness or not. "Well, the person who was assigned to do it called in sick, and I didn't have much to do, so I offered to take over."

Matthew wasn't entirely convinced, but figured that he probably shouldn't pry any longer.

"Oh, alright. I'll see you tomorrow then."

Antonio waved. "Have a good night."

Matthew gave a wave back and hurried out of the room. Something about the incident concerned him, but he couldn't figure out what. It was possible that the hospital was just simply making a transfer, but something about the whole operation seemed suspicious.

But he decided to keep the information to himself, as he wasn't really the one to worry about those kind of things.

* * *

 **And the plot thickens...**

 **Thanks for reading and if you want you can leave a review. I love getting them and then help me so much!**

 **And also thanks to everyone who did review, your comments are very much appreciated.**

 **I hope you all liked this chapter and I will see you all by the next update.**


	5. Is Seeing Believing?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

* * *

Matthew was very much relieved when he finally reached his apartment door. That day's work at the hospital had been quite busy, and Matthew was in dire need for some relaxation.

Upon opening the door, Matthew could make out two voices coming from the living room. One of them, the loud and enthusiastic one, he immediately recognized as his brother's, though the other, more softer and calmer voice remained unfamiliar to him.

Matthew entered the apartment and closed the door just as both of the living room's occupants turned to face him, as the sound of his presence had interfered with their conversation. Upon first glance, Matthew caught sight of Alfred sitting on the living room sofa, a typical smile plastered on his face. Across from him sat a blonde, young man, who's stoic, yet soft expression hid most of the man's personality.

"Matt, bro, welcome home! How was work?"

Matthew walked into the living room as Alfred greeted him and took a seat next to his brother. The unknown visitor still sat silently, as if he was afraid to speak without his host's consent.

"It was fine. Busy, but fine." Matthew answered, as he watched the blonde man from the corner of his eye. "I see we have a guest."

At the mention of his being there, the quiet visitor gave a small smile, though Matthew could have sworn that he looked slightly uncomfortable being the topic of conversation.

Alfred's smile widened as he gestured to the blonde man. "This is Arthur, you know, the guy I told you about earlier."

Matthew nodded in understanding. "Oh, the one who took you around London today?"

Alfred nodded. "Yeah, and it was awesome!"

"Nice to meet you, Arthur." Matthew said quickly, as he figured that if he didn't say something then Alfred would start recalling their outing that day, which from experience Matthew knew could take quite a while.

"A pleasure to meet you as well. You're Alfred's brother, correct?" Matthew nodded. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Only good things I hope." Matthew said as he gave Alfred a playful grin.

Alfred grinned back. "Of course, Mattie. There's nothing bad to say."

Matthew smiled at the compliment and turned back to Arthur. "So, have you been living in London for a while now, Arthur?"

"Yes, London is originally my birthplace, but I've moved around since then." Arthur answered quickly, as if the reply was scripted and had been spoken many times. "And I here you and Alfred are from New York?"

"Yes, Long Island to be specific." Matthew said, though he felt as if Arthur had deliberately shifted the conversation towards his and Alfred's background.

"Though Mattie is actually Canadian." Alfred chimed in, causing Matthew to blush as what Alfred was referring to was not something he was most comfortable speaking about.

Arthur looked at him questioningly. "You're Canadian? But I thought you two were brothers."

Matthew sighed as he listened to Alfred fill in the details. "We are, but we're only half brothers. We share the same mother, but we have different fathers. Matthew was born first in Canada, but his father died when he was a baby. Shortly after, our mom got remarried to my father and moved to New York where I was born."

"You didn't tell me this earlier." Arthur said.

Alfred shrugged. "I didn't think it was important."

"I see." Arthur said as he thought about the new information. "So you two have different last names?"

Matthew nodded. "Yeah, I'm Matthew Williams while he's Alfred Jones."

There was a few seconds of silence as the three of them sat collecting their thoughts. Their relationship wasn't really something they talked about often, which was why Matthew found it an uncomfortable topic. The fact that they had different fathers never really appeared too important to them, as they always considered themselves as full brothers. Matthew didn't feel that it made much of a difference, so he preferred not to really bring it up.

"Well, sorry to cut this short, but I should really be heading home now." Arthur said suddenly, breaking the silence that had engulfed them.

Matthew glanced at his watch. "Oh, it is pretty late. Do you need a ride home?"

Arthur shook his head quickly. "No, no, it's quite alright. I can walk from here."

"I'll walk with you." Alfred suggested.

Matthew watched silently as Arthur looked away nervously.

"Thank you, Alfred," Arthur said anxiously. "but really, it's alright. I can walk alone."

Matthew smiled as Alfred pouted, obviously disappointed about Arthur's reluctance to allow him to tag along.

"Aww, come on, Arthur." Alfred begged as Arthur prepared himself to leave. "Won't you be lonely? What if someone attacks you or something, and you need me to save you?"

A small smile played on Arthur's lips as he put on his jacket. "I'm sure I'll be perfectly safe and will not need your assistance, Alfred."

The scene was becoming more amusing to Matthew as he watched Arthur continue to reject his brother's offer. Alfred seemed very intent on going, but for some reason, Arthur was very much against it.

"Just this once?" Alfred continued. "Let it be payment for giving me a tour today."

Arthur sighed as he placed his hand on the door. "You're not giving up, are you?"

Alfred smiled as Arthur began to reconsider. Matthew sat silently with heightened interest as he wondered what the final outcome between the two would be.

"Fine. Come along."

* * *

The two walked slowly, their footsteps creating an echo in the empty, abandoned street. It was a rare sight in the busy city, but the cold, lonesome atmosphere suited the scene just fine on that December night.

Much to Arthur's pleasure, the sun had long gone and the moon and stars had already taken their place, shining down on the two figures trotting down the empty road. Arthur wrapped his coat around him tighter as a wind flew by him, slapping him in the face with its icy, cold air. It was evident that winter was most definitely on its way.

"Nighttime always scared me." Alfred said. "It's so dark and spooky, and you never know what could just jump out at you."

Arthur smirked. "Or maybe you've just been watching too much horror movies."

"That could be a possibility."

After Alfred's last comment, the two lapsed into a comfortable silence, each one absorbed in his own thoughts. As they walked, Arthur glanced over at Alfred, a smile subconsciously evolving on his pale face in the process. He'd only known the American man for about two days, yet Arthur felt as if their recent friendship had actually been formed years prior, as he felt so at ease when around him, drastically different from the paranoia that constantly nagged at him throughout his days. He was almost thankful that he ended up taking him along.

As much as he didn't want to dwell on it, he couldn't help but think about what could become of them. The question of if Arthur was even ready for another relationship, just friends or romantic, was hovering in his mind that whole day, thus filling him with anxiety as it reminded him of the incident that caused his antisocial way of living in the first place.

The memory made him shudder, as he knew that the individual responsible for most of his fear was still out there somewhere. The memory was so clear and vivid in Arthur's mind, despite the fact that it occurred almost a century prior. Arthur wanted to believe so bad that he was safe and that no one was out to harm him, but the traumatic experience had left such an impact on him that he was almost incapable of overcoming it.

Yet the desire to overcome it was so strong. Arthur yearned to have friends again, people who he can relate to and socialize with, even if it meant he'd have to keep his true identity a secret.

But he didn't feel strong enough. The fear of history repeating itself was so great that Arthur couldn't bring himself towards friendship. He wanted to befriend Alfred, but he couldn't bring himself to put his full trust in him. The chance that his past would happen again was too high, a risk that Arthur did not really want to take.

And even if Alfred did appear to be who he was, who was to say that he'd accept Arthur for who _he_ was?

"Which street do we turn down again?"

Arthur refocused his attention on Alfred as his question intruded his controversial thoughts. Glancing around at their current surroundings, Arthur noticed the crossroad they had reached.

"Left." Arthur replied as he began to turn.

Those were the only words uttered before they fell back into silence again. Arthur tried to think of something to say, so as not to return to his previous thoughts, but something stopped him from initiating a conversation. A small noise caught his attention, causing him to glance around quickly in an attempt to find its source.

Alfred hadn't heard it, for it was way to quiet for the average human to hear, but Arthur had. The noise sounded again, this time a little louder, and Arthur couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was watching them.

Stopping in his tracks, Arthur looked around the dark street, searching for anything that might have been the cause of the disturbing sounds. Alfred noticed his abrupt stop and refrained from walking as well.

"Is something wrong?" Alfred asked as he tried to figure out what caused their journey to freeze.

Arthur sighed as he couldn't hear the noise anymore. "I just thought I heard something. I guess I was wrong."

Alfred laughed. "Maybe someone's following us. See, I told you someone might attack you."

Arthur shook his head and began to walk again. "Very funny, but I don't think so."

Once again, silence fell upon the two and Arthur tried again to listen to the unknown sound. From what he could see, there was no one else on the street, making it impossible for someone to be following them. Perhaps he was only imagining, as he had been prone to do many times before.

Just as Arthur had almost abandoned the idea of someone on their trail, a loud crash was heard from behind them as they walked through a dark alleyway. Arthur turned around quickly and caught a quick glimpse of a man dressed in black hurling towards them. But the man was quick, so the image of him was a bit of a blur as he got closer.

Arthur's inner instincts immediately took over, as he had almost forgotten that Alfred was standing there, watching the scene in horror. Arthur let his fangs become visible, their sharp ends glistening in the moonlight, and let his normally green eyes become bloodshot as he defended himself against the attacker who had then launched himself at Arthur, pinning him against the wall of a building in the process.

Arthur growled as he observed the man holding him down. It was dark, but Arthur could make out his pale features, though the rest of his body was adorned in black, hiding his identity from the trapped vampire. Arthur struggled in the man's grasp, but his strength was much greater than any human's that Arthur had ever seen. As he tried to become free, his eyes suddenly caught sight of Alfred backing away slowly as a look of confusion and terror shone on his face. Arthur scolded himself for revealing his identity like that, but he knew he had no choice, even if it meant that he'd lose Alfred.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Arthur asked his captor harshly while watching Alfred out of the corner of his eye.

"It doesn't matter." The black clad man said with a smirk. "I have you now and that's all I need."

Arthur growled again as he let his fangs come out more. "You're not afraid of what I am. So that means you know?"

"I do." The man answered swiftly.

"Then release me or I will kill you."

The man didn't take any action so Arthur lunged himself forward and attempted to sink his teeth into the darkly dressed man's neck. The attack was done quickly, but the unidentified man was quicker and managed to dodge Arthur's open mouth. Arthur tried to attack him again, but the man had ran away instantly, leaving the exposed vampire with the fear stricken mortal alone in the dark alley.

Arthur stood still as he waited for his breathing to return to normal and his heart beat to slow down. He stayed silent as his still bloodshot eyes looked over at Alfred, who was still shakily standing by the other side of the wall. Alfred's trembling gaze never left Arthur as his mind continued to process Arthur's true form.

"W-who are y-you?" Alfred stuttered as he continued to stare. "W-what are you?"

Arthur looked up, making sure to keep his distance from the terrified human. This interaction was a new experience for him, as no ordinary human had ever seen his true identity without being murdered immediately after.

"Alfred, I can explain." Arthur said cautiously. "I'm not going to hurt you-"

"No!" Alfred shouted, his hands extending out in front of him as if to shield him from any incoming attack. "Don't come any closer!"

"Alfred, wait," Arthur pleaded as he allowed one foot to step forward. "I promise, there's nothing to be afraid of. Please, just let me explain."

Alfred backed away quickly. "No! I said to stop! Just go away!"

Arthur watched guiltily as Alfred turned and ran away, his hurrying footsteps being the only sounds in the darkened streets. Arthur stood glued to his spot under the moonlit sky, a deep feeling of loss and sorrow rushing over him as he wondered just what had gone wrong.

* * *

Alfred ran as fast as his human legs could carry him through the dark, empty roads of London, his heart beating a mile a minute, and his hands and face sweaty from the events just prior. His mind was a mess as so many thoughts raced through it at once. Throughout his marathon, he tried to make some sense of each one but he failed as the image of Arthur in that horrid form contradicted any sort of logic that attempted to give a reasonable explanation.

The fangs, the eyes, and just the way with which he used to fend off the attacker was just too unnatural to Alfred, it didn't make any sense. He knew what he saw, but he didn't know what he saw. His eyes were not playing tricks on him, but yet they were. The word vampire kept flashing in his mind, but he couldn't believe it.

There was no such thing. Vampires didn't exist, just like there was no such thing as monsters, demons, and ghosts. They were all legends, stories, myths! They only existed in fiction, there was no way that they were real.

But Alfred knew what he saw. He couldn't lie to himself, but he also couldn't lie about reality. There just was no such things as vampires. It was as simple as that.

But then how could he explain Arthur?

As Alfred got closer to his apartment, he began to slow down and quickly glance behind him. There was no one coming after him which calmed him a little, though that wasn't really saying much after taking into account what he had just endured.

Pushing his logical thinking aside, Alfred began to consider the consequences if Arthur really was a vampire. It was something that frightened him, as he had been hanging around him for quite some time now, completely unaware of his true identity. What if Arthur had planned to kill him? Perhaps his friendliness had all been a conspiracy.

Alfred sighed as he approached his building and pushed open the door. His thoughts and assumptions were strangling him and he had no idea what to believe. Perhaps it really all was fake, and he was just crazy.

Alfred would have gladly accepted that suggestion, but the incessant image of Arthur in the alleyway prevented him from doing so.

* * *

"You failed your mission." Someone said glumly from his seat at his desk. A man dressed in black stood on the other side, facing him, an apologetic smile on his face.

"He attempted to bite me." The man said defensively. "I had no other choice but to let him go."

The man at the desk banged his fist hard on the table, causing the other to flinch. "We need to find some other means of attack! We're running out of time."

The darkly dressed man kept his mouth shut as he waited for the other to continue. As if expected, the angered man stood up abruptly and began to pace behind his desk.

"The attack in the forest failed." He said grimly as he walked back and forth. "I knew I shouldn't have put my hope in a bunch of damned, useless mortals. How stupid to expect them to catch him with his inhuman speed. Pathetic!"

He was pacing quicker now, causing the observing man to wonder what his next words would be. His curiosity grew as the man behind the desk suddenly stopped and looked towards him with a suspicious smile on his face and mysterious twinkle in his blue eyes.

"I think it's time we took some drastic measures." He said, a hint of excitement in his voice. "How friendly are you with Matthew?"

* * *

 **Finally, I got this chapter up. I apologize for the wait, but as I said before, updates might be slow because of school and stuff.**

 **And now, for a bit of an explanation on the content of this chapter. So, yeah, Alfred found out rather accidentally that Arthur was a vampire, even if he is in somewhat denial. The reason he ran away like that and why he's having a constant battle with his thoughts is because I would like to take this chance to express my criticism on a lot of vampire romance out there.**

 **So, from the majority that I've read and watched, the human in the relationship is, for some reason, rarely ever afraid. I mean, if I were in love with a dude and he turned out to be a blood sucking vampire, I don't care how big of a crush I've got on him, I'm going to be out of his sight as quickly as I can. And I think that reaction is what most normal people would have, even if you're the bravest person in the world. So, yeah, Alfred is most definitely scared because he's a normal human being that knows for certain that vampires don't exist...or does he?**

 **Anyway, enough of that. Please, please, please leave a review because they make me really happy! Thank you so much for reading this and I will try my best to get the next chapter up soon.**

 **Ciao!**


	6. A Silence of Uncertainty

**Disclaimer: Hetalia doesn't belong to me .**

* * *

With only two people living in one apartment, it was bound to get quiet every so often, but somehow the silence that filled Matthew's apartment that Wednesday morning just seemed so unnatural.

As he ate his breakfast, he couldn't help but notice the chair that layed vacant across from him, as it was usually occupied by a talkative, young man who was also very similar to him in appearance. Alfred wasn't necessarily an early riser, but he usually rolled out of bed by that time in the morning, or he would at least give Matthew some kind of indication that he was in fact, alive. But today he did none of the sorts, and for all Matthew knew, he could very well be dead.

But his concern didn't go that far. Everyone had their off days, so why should Alfred be any different? It wasn't his place to judge his brother, and if there was something wrong, than he would wait for Alfred to tell him. No need to push him for an explanation that might not even exist.

Without Alfred's incessant talking, Matthew would assume that the morning would go by a lot slower, but to his disappointment, time actually seemed to speed up. Matthew cast one more look at his brother's closed door with a small hope that maybe he'd at least come out to say goodbye, but it appeared he had no such luck. The door remained closed, and it would remain like that until it's owner decided to do otherwise.

"Al, I'm leaving!" Matthew called out as a last attempt. "I'll see you later! Bye!"

He even lingered at the door for another few seconds, but not even a sound could be heard from the other side of the closed door. With a sigh, Matthew threw on his coat and left the now completely silent apartment.

* * *

Matthew sighed in relief as he allowed himself to sit down for the first time since he arrived at the hospital. His seat wasn't anything of good comfort, a plastic folding chair to be exact, but just the feeling of not needing to be supported by his tired legs was enough to make the chair feel like a recliner to him.

Though, recliner or not, it was barely eight seconds before someone decided to walk into the quiet area he had designated for his relaxation time. Mentally scowling at the intruder, Matthew could see that he most certainly wasn't a hospital employee, as he had never seen him before. His skin was a little tan, and his hair was a dark brown, but all in all he didn't look anything out of the ordinary.

"Is Antonio here?"

The man's tone of voice was anything but friendly, as if he purposely intended to get on people's bad sides.

"Uh, not at the moment." Matthew answered quickly, afraid that if he didn't give a fast response the man would surely get angry about it. "But he should be here soon. I happen to be waiting for him too."

The unknown visitor groaned and took a seat next to Matthew. He didn't look at him, but kept his view on the doorway from where he had entered, as if he were guarding the entrance in case anyone wanted to sneak in.

"Matthew Williams, isn't it?" He asked, still keeping his gaze forward, though Matthew turned to face him.

"Yeah, how do you who I am? And who are you?"

The man's expression darkened and his dark eyes seemed to stare at the door harder. "I'm Lovino Vargas, a friend of Antonio's. He told me about you, and his description matched you perfectly. It was worth a guess."

Considering Antonio's tendency to ramble on about things, Matthew could only take his word for that being the reason.

"Fair enough. How do you know Antonio?"

"We've just known each other for a while now. Too many unnecessary details that don't need to be discussed."

Being that he'd only known Lovino for a good two minutes, it wasn't fair of him to say that there was no way he could be friends with Antonio. The two were nothing alike, at least on the surface.

Then, as if there was a sudden change of mood, Lovino swiftly turned to face Matthew with an even more serious expression than before.

"If I were you, I'd stay away from this place. It's nothing but a danger."

The sudden remark caught Matthew off guard. He had no idea what Lovino was referring to. Why would the hospital be dangerous?

But it seemed that fate didn't want him to delve deeper into the matter because Antonio seemed to appear at that very moment.

"Lovi! What are you doing here?" Antonio asked with a smile on his face.

Despite their so called friendship, Lovino didn't make any effort to return the greeting. "You know what I'm here for."

"Oh, right." Antonio laughed. "I guess I was just hoping that maybe you just came because you wanted to see me."

"Keep dreaming."

Their voices began to fade away as they left the room, but Lovino's voice from earlier continued to linger. Matthew could still hear the odd comment he made before Antonio arrived, but for the life of him, Matthew just couldn't understand what it could possibly mean, or even if it had any meaning at all. Based on the personality Matthew had seen, he wouldn't be that surprised to find out he was just messing with him, but if he was telling the truth, then was it really dangerous for him to continue working there?

* * *

It had been a couple of hours since any noise was made in Alfred's apartment. It was strange considering that he was the one home, but the silence seemed to fit his thoughts perfectly, as his thoughts were completely silent. He didn't know what to think.

Ever since he had gotten home the night before, he had locked himself in his room and refused to leave his bed. He had heard Matthew calling him earlier, but he had no willpower to go and see him. He just couldn't bring himself to do anything. All he could do was replay the scene from last night, but despite the number of times he recalled it, he couldn't come up with any logical explanation. He had absolutely no idea what to think.

 _Ring ring_.

A groan escaped his lips as the perfect silence that had taken residence in his apartment was suddenly kicked out by the sound of his phone ringing. At first he decided he'd just ignore, but in all honesty, he was quite curious to see who it was.

He snatched his phone from the nightstand and immediately regretted it when he saw who it was. The very man, no, vampire, Arthur Kirkland, the one who had been occupying his mind for the past night and day was now calling him.

He couldn't bring himself to answer it.

Sighing, he let his phone fall back on the nightstand, listening with annoyance as it continued to ring. Alfred was sure the phone would continue ringing forever, but eventually it did come to an end. Relieved, Alfred shifted positions in his bed and welcomed the silence back into his home.

Only for it to be kicked out again.

As if he knew Alfred was ignoring him on purpose, Alfred's caller id showed that Arthur was in fact calling him again. Alfred wasn't sure if vampires possessed any supernatural abilities, but if this was one of them, them Alfred was so going to kill him, if Arthur didn't end up killing him first.

Alfred glared at his cell phone as he let it continue to ring. He had no intention to answer it, there was no point. What was Arthur going to say? He's sorry for not telling him he was a vampire, or apologize for whatever horrific joke he played on him last night? An apology over the phone wouldn't cut it, but it wasn't like he was going to meet with him again, so what other choice did it give him?

Reluctantly, Alfred grabbed the phone and answered the persistent call.

"Hello?"

There was a pause on the other line, as if Arthur was surprised that Alfred had answered.

"Oh, Alfred? It's me, Arthur, though, I'm sure you're quite aware of that fact." His last words came out almost an whisper, as if he hadn't wanted Alfred to hear them. "Look, I wanted to talk about yesterday, and this whole thing in general. I just want a chance to explain."

Arthur gave a pause, as if to wait for Alfred's approval on the matter. "I don't want to talk about it now."

Alfred didn't have any supernatural abilities, but he was almost sure he could see the frown on Arthur's face.

"Can we meet somewhere? I can explain it in person."

Alfred had two replies he could use. One was coming from his brain, and one was coming from his heart. His brain was telling him not to agree, in fact, if you asked for his mind's opinion, it was to forget about Arthur altogether. Even if he was a vampire, what good can come out of a friend like that?

His heart, though, held a different approach on the matter. It believed in Arthur, it wanted to find out more. Just because he might be a vampire didn't mean he was evil.

As much as Alfred hated to admit it, he kind of agreed with his heart. In fact, he actually felt that he wanted to see Arthur again. Reflecting back on his past interactions with him, he actually liked the time he spent with him.

But his sense of logic wouldn't let him go along with his feelings so easily. What if Arthur really was an evil vampire and was planning this future encounter as a means to get rid of him, to kill him? That still being a possibility, Alfred only had one choice of how to go through with both opinions.

"I'm willing to meet if it's in a public place."

"Oh, yeah, of course. I completely understand." Arthur said quickly, a hint of relief in his voice. "You can choose the time and place."

"Fine then, tomorrow at noon, and at the cafe where we first met."

"Perfect. I'll see you then. Have a good day, Alfred. Goodbye."

"Bye."

Despite the circumstances, Alfred was strangely looking forward to this meeting with Arthur.

* * *

"Hey, Matthew, wait up!"

Matthew turned around from his position at the hospital's exit just in time to see Gilbert hurrying towards him.

"Hello, Gilbert." Matthew said as the doctor approached him. "Is there something I can do for you because I was just leaving."

"Oh, no, nothing at all." Gilbert replied, a smile appearing on his pale face. "I was actually just leaving too, and figured we could just leave together."

"Oh, alright then." Matthew said as the two of them began to exit the hospital.

"So, how do you like it here so far?" Gilbert asked casually as soon as they left the premises.

"It's fine. I really like it." Despite his words though, Lovino's comment from earlier was still lingering in his mind, though he didn't feel comfortable enough to share it with Gilbert.

"That's good."

As the pair then lapsed into silence, Matthew was positive he could feel someone's eyes on him. Shooting a quick glance at Gilbert, he noticed that the albino was staring at him quite studiously, as if he were observing him.

"Is something wrong?" Matthew asked, catching the staring man off guard.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry." Gilbert apologized, a smirk on his face. "It's just that you look so much like your mother."

The remark caused Matthew to stop in his tracks. "I look like my mother? And just how on earth would you know what my mother looked like?"

Gilbert stopped in his tracks as well, and after a moment of silence, turned around to face Matthew. "I snuck a peak at the photo you keep inside your wallet. Your brother looks like her too. Have a good night, Matthew."

He then turned back around, and began walking in the complete opposite direction of which they had first came. If he wasn't originally going the same as him, then why did he ask to walk out with him. It didn't make a lot of sense to Matthew, but thinking back on all the strange characters he had met so far, Gilbert's oddity didn't wander far from everyone else's.

* * *

 **Look who managed to write another chapter, me! Though, I have to admit, the motivation really came from all you followers and favoriters, they just kept coming. This story's got 27 followers already, thank you guys!**

 **And as always, reviews are very much appreciated ! I would love to hear what you all think.**

 **Farewell!**


	7. One Drop at a Time

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.**

* * *

Once again, Arthur found himself seated in the last booth in the cafe that he had first met Alfred at, his hands wrapped around yet another steaming cup of tea with the same rythmic sound of heavy raindrops pounding against the glass windows.

While he waited for Alfred to arrive at their designated meeting place, Arthur decided to once more rehearse the scripted explanation he had spent all night writing. For about the tenth time that morning, Arthur went through his carefully thought out monolog, pausing every few lines to make sure everything sounded just right.

His apology and explanation had to be perfect, for it was the only way Alfred would gain any trust in him. Arthur had prepared himself to reveal some of his most private information, all so that Alfred wouldn't fear him.

Yet, Arthur had to keep questioning if this was all really necessary. He knew it was the only way to keep Alfred from running away from him, but why did he want him to stay so much? He had kept himself away from humans for so long, so why now did he feel this urge to get close to one? Hadn't he learnt from his mistakes? Humans were bad, weren't they?

But Alfred seemed different. The American probably never even had one evil thought go through his head. Arthur felt as if he could trust him, but why? Why was he different?

"Hey, sorry I'm late."

Arthur quickly looked up to see the man of his thoughts taking a seat across from him at the table, his hands wrapped around a hot cup of coffee. Just from one glance, Arthur could tell that Alfred had left most of his cheerful attitude at home that day, and it seemed as if he had swapped it for some misery that Arthur hadn't even known he possessed. To say the least, it was a change that Arthur didn't think he'd be able to adapt to so easily.

"Hello, Alfred." Arthur said, trying to make his words sound improvised. "I appreciate you coming to talk with me, it means a lot."

Alfred muttered something that sounded like a "you're welcome," and took a drink from his coffee. Arthur took that as a sign to continue and began to recite the next lines of his prewritten dialogue.

"I want to assure you that what you saw yesterday was real. Contrary to whatever you might have believed beforehand, vampires are most certainly real, as well as many other mythical creatures belonging of the supernatural world."

Arthur paused, and Alfred grabbed the opportunity to voice the question that had been sitting on his mind ever since the incident.

"So you're an actual vampire?"

Arthur sighed, as he knew it wasn't what Alfred wanted to hear. "Yes."

The two then lapsed into a silence which seemed to block out the rest of the noise surrounding them as well. Everything else around them disappeared until they felt as if they were the only ones occupying their presence.

"Are you afraid of me?" Arthur asked suddenly, unaware that he veering away from his script.

Alfred hesitated and looked down at his cup, as if he were uncomfortable to look Arthur in the eye when he replied.

"Yes, though I'm sure you can understand why."

Arthur did understand. He mostly certainly understood, and that was why he needed to convince Alfred that he was perfectly safe with him.

"Maybe if I explained things, you wouldn't feel the need to be scared." Now he was completely improvising his lines, but for some reason, he didn't feel his prewritten script was necessary anymore.

"You can try."

"Alright," Arthur began, feeling more confident in his words than he had before. "I'll show you that you have nothing to fear."

Arthur took a deep breath, and prepared to spill out everything he had kept inside of him for all those years he had lived. "Vampires don't just kill for the sake of murdering innocent humans, though I'll admit that just like you have bad people in the world, so too you have bad vampires who may perhaps do so. Now it is true that vampire live off of human blood, but we try our best to obtain our sustenance from more humane sources, such as blood banks."

Though it didn't look like it, Alfred was focusing intently on Arthur's words while pretending to find his coffee cup more interesting. He was finally getting to hear what Arthur's true intentions were, and so far, it seemed as though his heart was right in forcing him to come here.

"Despite this all sounding fine and dandy, I should have you know that obtaining blood the way I do is a very risky operation, and because of that, if I'm running low then I do sometimes have to turn to a last resort."

At that comment, Alfred immediately averted his gaze from his cup and placed it on Arthur. "Do you mean to say that you've killed people?"

As much as he didn't want to believe it himself, Arthur knew that the truth was what Alfred needed to hear. "Yes, and I feel horribly guilty for it, but I promise you, Alfred, it's a rare occurrence, and I can most definitely control my urges."

"Is that a promise you'll never hurt me?"

He didn't mean to hesitate, but it happened nonetheless, and he was pretty sure Alfred noticed it too, though he let it slide.

"Yes. I can guarantee your safety." He could, right? He'd never do anything to Alfred, even though his blood did smell heavenly, but he could control it. He would control it.

"I still need some time to adjust to all this." Alfred said. "But I think we can still be friends, but you're just going to have work in order to earn my trust, okay?"

It wasn't a complete yes, but it wasn't a complete rejection either. If Alfred wanted him to work in order to earn his trust, then so be it. He'd make sure that he'd prove to Alfred that he was most certainly trustworthy.

"I understand." Arthur replied, trying to hide his relief towards Alfred's request. "I can show you that you can trust me."

Alfred then smiled, for what might have been for the first time that day. "Good. Now that we're on similar terms, why don't you tell me about your real backstory, instead of that garbage you made up the other time."

"To be fair," Arthur replied. "that garbage was based off my actual backstory."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Surprisingly, Arthur felt very different from what he had imagined he'd feel when relaying this information to Alfred. He originally predicted that it would be hard for him, and that he would feel uncomfortable and nervous. But now that he was actually doing it, revealing his true life story to Alfred didn't seem as big of task as he had originally thought. On the contrary, it felt rather the opposite. It felt as if a huge boulder was being lifted off his heart, letting loose all the painful memories and emotions that had been trapped underneath.

"I was telling the truth when I said I was born here." Arthur began to explain. "I was born the twenty-seventh of April in fourteen forty-two-"

"Are you for real?!" Alfred shouted in shock, interrupting Arthur's story.

"Yes, now quiet down, will you? People are staring."

Alfred then looked around at some of the staring customers, and finally reverted back to his normal composure. "Oh, yeah, sorry. I forgot we weren't alone."

"Yeah, me too." Arthur agreed. "Anyway, back in those days, humans for the most part knew that we were real. They also thought that we were completely dangerous and because of that, they tried very hard to hunt us down and destroy us. In fourteen sixty-six, my family was killed in London, and I was the only one to survive, as I wasn't with them at the time."

"Looks like we have something in common then." Alfred suggested lightly.

Arthur nodded and then continued. "I will be honest though, I never really found out who killed them, but I strongly believe it was the doing of humans. You see, soon afterwards, London became a commonplace for vampire hunts. Fearing for my safety, I decided to leave London in search for somewhere safer. In the end, I just kept moving from one place to the next, until eventually after the first world war, things seemed to calm down a bit regarding the human views towards vampires, and I returned here to London."

He purposely left out what happened shortly before he returned to London, but he figured Alfred didn't necessarily need to know that bit of information.

"Well, that explains a lot." Alfred commented as he turned his gaze towards the window which was giving a clear view of the heavy rain slowing down, and the first rays of sunlight beginning to emerge from its hiding place behind the clouds.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Arthur asked, as he lifted his now cold cup of tea to his mouth.

"Oh, nothing." Alfred said. "It just explains why you knew so much while giving me that tour."

"Oh, I guess you're right."

As the conversation lured to a pause, a cloud of silence began to slowly enter their presence, of which Arthur welcomed greatly, for he had an overwhelming need to just sit in quiet for a few minutes, and allow the details of their conversation to sort themselves out in his cluttered mind. But he only recieved disappointment, as Alfred had decided to push away the emerging silence and keep the door closed with his sudden comment.

"Hey, about last night, what exactly happened?"

Arthur sighed, as his desire to allow in the silence still lurked in his mind, but he was able to keep it at bay, for Alfred's question was definitely a matter worth speaking of.

"To be honest, Alfred," Arthur tried to answer. "I don't really know. All I know is that someone wants me dead, but I just don't know who or why."

"So that was someone attacking you last night?"

Arthur nodded.

"But who else knows you're a vampire that would want to kill you?" Alfred asked in confusion.

Arthur shook his head in despair. "I told you, Alfred, I have no idea. For now, all I can do is keep my guard up and try to protect myself."

At that point, the sun had come out completely, and the gloomy weather that had taken temporary residence upon the city just moments prior was now totally gone.

"Thanks for telling me all of that, Arthur." Alfred said. "I know it wasn't something so easy for you to do. So, congratulations, you're now one step closer to earning my trust."

"Really? That fast?" Arthur asked, surprised that that was all he had to do.

Alfred laughed. "Don't get too excited, I only said it was one step closer. You've still got some more to go."

Oh, but Arthur was excited. He might have a lot more steps to climb, but now he had the motivation and the energy to reach the top, his goal, Alfred's trust. He would do it, though he was still a bit confused as to why his heart had set its mind onto this. It was as if his heart knew something about Alfred that he didn't, but what?

* * *

"So, Matthew, have you finally settled in here?"

Matthew smiled and looked over towards Antonio, who had asked him the question. "Yeah, I think I have. I really like working here, and I'm glad I decided to take the job."

Matthew kept the smile on his face, but it internally fell as his gaze met with Lovino's, who happened to be sitting in the room with them. The warning he had gotten from Lovino the day before still remained fresh in his memory, as if it were unsure as to whether it should discard the information, or store it for its potential use later.

The door then suddenly swung open, and Gilbert made a grand entrance from behind it. "Man, today was a busy shift, wouldn't you guys agree?"

Antonio voiced his similar opinion, and Matthew simply nodded in aggrement. He also noted that Lovino stayed strangely silent, as if he were observing the conversation with great intensity, for reasons unknown to Matthew.

"Hey, Matthew," Gilbert said, trying to catch Matthew's attention.

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking, since you're like fully part of the team now, do you mind if I'd start calling you Mattie?"

Matthew's voice got stuck in his throat as he felt his face start to heat up. He didn't know why it seemed like an awkward question, but no one aside from his brother ever really called him that.

"Uh, I guess, if you really want to."

"Cool! Besides, I think Mattie sounds much more awesome than Matthew, don't you agree, Toni?"

"Yeah, it kind of does."

While Gilbert and Antonio trailed off into another topic of conversation, Matthew couldn't help but notice once again the quiet presence of Lovino sitting in the corner, taking in the whole scene with a very watchful eye. It made him feel downright uncomfortable, and seeing that Lovino didn't appear to be leaving any time soon, Matthew figured it would be best if he just made an exit.

"Hey, guys," Matthew said as he rose from his seat. "I'm gonna start heading home now. I'll see you both tomorrow."

He then quickly made his way out the door, though not without feeling the gaze of three others staring after him.

* * *

"So this is your so called 'awesome' plan? Sucking up to him in order to get him to hand it over?"

Gilbert spun around at the sudden voice to find Lovino sitting there with a glare on his face. "Oh, Lovino, I didn't notice you were here. I guess you're just not awesome enough for me to see you."

Lovino rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Will you just get to the point."

Gilbert sighed dramatically, but complied to Lovino's request anyway. "Alright, yes, this is my awesome plan. If I can get friendly enough with him, maybe even more than that, I might just be able to obtain it from him without force or suspicion."

"How do you even know he has it?"

"But didn't they leave it-" Antonio tried to intervene, but Lovino cut him off before he could finish.

"No one asked you, you bastard!"

"Of course he has it." Gilbert then said sternly. "He has it and I'm going to get it. Just you wait, Lovino, we will be successful."

Lovino didn't say anything, and Gilbert quickly said a goodbye, and left the remaining two alone in the room. They both sat silently for a moment before Lovino broke it.

"Did you get the blood?"

Antonio smiled and reached for something in his bag. "I thought you'd never ask."

He then pulled out a bag and handed it over to Lovino, who immediately began to sift through its contents.

"I got the freshest ones I could find in the bank." Antonio commented as Lovino continued his examination.

After a few moments of silence between them, Lovino finally set the bag down and set his gaze straight ahead, purposely avoided eye contact with Antonio.

"If you guys are right, and this somehow works out in the end, are you really going to allow them to go through with it?" Lovino asked in a low, serious tone.

Antonio didn't answer right away, but when he did, it lacked all his cheerfulness he usually possessed. "I hope I don't have to make that decision."

* * *

 **Hey y'all! Somehow I got the energy to write this, so I hope you liked it. I seriously can't thank you guys enough for all the followers and stuff, it really means a lot! Keep it up and reviews are greatly appreciated , as always!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


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